NEWS RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

8th December, 2003

FIRSTPROOF GOES 'LOCAL'

JAPANESE VERSION RELEASED

Hamillroad Software is pleased to announce the immediate availability of FirstPROOF v1.5, which now supports internationalisation, allowing for the delivery of localised versions by our OEM customer base¹. The first of these, a Japanese version is due to be released shortly by an OEM of Xitron Inc.

FirstPROOF is Hamillroad's popular 'across the LAN' soft-proofing and approval system which runs on both the Apple Macintosh² and x86 Windows³ platform. By producing a version that can be easily localised, Hamillroad has opened up its technology to the wider non-English speaking communities.

FirstPROOF is a family of powerful 'across the LAN' soft proofing systems, built on top of a common high performance core, that offers support for Harlequin⁴ and TIFF⁵ file formats. It allows users of any Harlequin RIP or TIFF based workflow system to remotely view and approve output prior to imaging, directly from FirstPROOFs main screen. With its advanced features, including the ability to view files from remote workstations, zoom in & out, rotate & mirror flip pages to name but a few, FirstPROOF has proved itself as a high-end production tool for users that will consistently save them time and money.

With this new release of FirstPROOF, customors now have the ability to buy a product that runs in their native language. The precise availability of localised versions will depend on customer demand, but a Japanese localised version for both the Mac and PC platform has been completed by an OEM of Xitron Inc, and will be available shortly.

"We've been getting numerous requests to provide localised versions of our FirstPROOF products for quite some time now," comments Robert Miller, Hamillroad Software's Director of New Product Development. "By internationalising FirstPROOF and working with our sales partners, we are now in the position of being able to offer localised products to suit the needs of any market where there is sufficient demand.

"At Xitron our mission is to provide products that enhance prepress productivity. FirstPROOF is an excellent addition to our product line allowing users the ability to monitor, preview and approve jobs on the Navigator RIP from their desktop," explains Jim Thrush, President of Xitron. "We are very pleased that we can now offer language localisation in FirstPROOF to our customers worldwide. Providing products in the operator's native language is an important aspect of creating solutions that are easy-to-use and improve productivity."

Localised versions of FirstPROOF PGB, TIFF and DUAL will be available through Hamillroad Software's partners, which include a number of dealers, distributors and Harlequin OEMs. For further details, please see our web site at www.hamillroad.com/main/sales/general.htm.

Notes to the Editor

About Hamillroad Software

Hamillroad Software is an independent software group, with offices in Cambridge, UK and Cape-Town, South Africa. The company specialises in the development and sale of specialist software products relating to Harlequin and other RIPs in the pre-press industry. Offering real value for money, Hamillroad Software's FirstPROOF is the first in a series of products that will dramatically change the way users work, making them much more productive. For more information on Hamillroad Software and its products please visit their web site at http://www.hamillroad.com.

For further information, please contact:

  Andy Cave, Chief Executive Officer.
  Hamillroad Software Limited.
  Office: +44 (0)1223 236272.
  Mail: andy.cave@hamillroad.com
  Website: www.hamillroad.com

ENDS

(1) Actual localised versions released will depend on the OEMs and the demands made in turn on them by their customers. (2) Apple Macintosh is a trademark of Apple Computer Inc., registered in the US and other countries. (3) Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. (4) The Harlequin RIP is a registered trademark of Global Graphics Software Limited. (5) TIFF is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems Inc. All other names are trademarks of their respective owners.